


Saw You Standing There

by ItsLouandHazForever



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: But only for like a minute, College, Fluff, Harry is 19, Harry thinks Louis is dating Liam, Hiking, I think that's it - Freeform, M/M, Niall kinda watches Harry and Louis fuck?, Oh, Pining, Rimming, So this is my first Harry/Louis Fic, it's miniscule, louis is 19, please be kind, so does that even really count?, there's a mention of ziam at the end, um
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-29
Updated: 2014-08-29
Packaged: 2018-02-15 07:50:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2221269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsLouandHazForever/pseuds/ItsLouandHazForever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. Harry and Louis are 19yo freshmen at an American college. There's some hiking. Harry avoids Louis because he is not a home wrecker. They kiss.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Saw You Standing There

**Author's Note:**

> I've never done a Harry and Louis fic before so please give me feedback! (And please be gentle, I'm sensitive). Also never done gay smut, so it's really vague and really short. Um, I feel like the title came from somewhere but I'm not sure where because it wasn't intentional. Also, I didn't have a beta, so there are probably about a thousand errors. Thanks for reading :)

Standing atop the large hill- a small mountain, really- Harry had a hard time enjoying the view as he was having a hard time catching his breath. From where he stood, you could see for miles around. The sky was dimming, and to the north, right at the base of the hill, a fog was starting to set over the lake- a lake that stretched for miles and miles, seeming to never end. To the east was the city, looking beautiful in the evening light as it slowly lit up, nestled in between endless forest and endless water. All around him could be seen the tops of trees, their leaves just beginning to change in the cool air of late August. But Harry, he didn’t notice it. Partially, it was the exhaustion from climbing up the steep incline, scrambling over boulders nearly as tall as him, as he tried to keep up with the group. It was his first weekend at college and his floor had decided to participate in a bonding exercise. Unfortunately for Harry, no one had told him it would involve hiking.  
The other thing distracting him from enjoying the beautiful scenery was the beautiful boy. Harry had seen him earlier when he’d gone to dinner with his roommate. The boy was small, almost pixyish, with a petite waist and curvy figure, just the tiniest hint of a tummy peeking out. He had brown fringe that fell in his eyes- Harry would kill to know the color of them. He wore glasses and had the cutest, face-splitting smile that appeared to crinkle his eyes while he laughed at something a taller, sportier looking boy- man?- was saying.  
“Alright there, mate?” a distinctly Irish voice asked from behind, making Harry jump, losing his footing and nearly falling off the side of the hill. Luckily, the blonde boy at his side grabbed him and steadied him, dragging him to a flatter lookout point further from the edge.  
“Um, yeah, I’m, um, I’m fine. Just…” He looks around, trying to find a better excuse than ‘that boy is gorgeous and I want to father his babies’ and settles on his feet. "Just, no one told me were hiking. I wouldn’t have worn my best-” tightest- “skinny jeans and these boots if I’d known.” He glances forlornly down at his favorite brown boots, now covered in a layer of mud and pine needles.  
His roommate just laughs, loud and obnoxious, drawing the attention of the pretty boy, who appears to perk up at something. Before Harry knows what to do, the boy is walking towards them. Harry curses and slips away as fast as he can, stumbling his way over to a lookout balcony (complete with a railing). He focuses on the area around him, briefly thinking what a perfect spot this would be for making out with the pretty boy, then deciding it really isn’t, what with the awful climb and all that.  
Soon enough, the group begins filtering their way back to the path, glow sticks lighting up the forest as they make their way down the hill in the dark. “Fucking hell, whose dumbass idea was this?” he murmurs to himself, tripping over the thousandth tree root and catching himself against the rough bark of another tree. Up ahead he can hear people laughing and he can see the hot pink glow stick on his roommate’s blonde head. Behind him is more laughter, and he doesn’t understand how these people are having such a great time when they’re surely all going to die before the reach the bottom.  
It’s impossible to see anything at this point, his glow sticks barely lighting up the ominous forest around them. There are strange rustling noises in the woods, animals running around. Someone mentioned pumas earlier…  
“AHHH‼” His large foot catches on an especially large tree root, sending him sprawling forward, barely having time to catch himself on a boulder before face planting it instead. A throbbing shoots up his leg and he collapses completely onto the ground, clutching his ankle in pain.  
It feels like forever before the group behind him catches up, nearly walking passed him in the dark. It isn’t until someone at the back of the group- someone smart enough to use the flashlight on his phone to guide the way- notices him that anyone stops. “Hey, guys, wait up, there’s someone here!” he calls out to the group and, fuck, the guy has a nice voice- the kind Harry wouldn’t mind listening to all day- and of course- of course!- it’s the beautiful boy from before and-  
“-alright, love?” His Yorkshire accent- so out of place at this American college- has Harry dizzy. Staring at this gorgeous boy in front of him, this beautiful, British masterpiece, makes him forget about the pain, all thoughts of his throbbing ankle fleeing his mind, but they all come rushing back when nimble fingers brush over his denim-covered calf.  
“Um, yeah, yeah, I just need to, like, ice it when we get back, I’m fine, really. Here, I can stand, just…” He trails off, standing up on shaking legs and wincing a bit as he puts pressure on his ankle. He’s determined to keep going though, he’s not going to make a fool of himself. So he puts on a smile and takes a careful step forward. “Much better. I’ll be fine, thank you…?”  
“Louis. Are you sure? We can help you, it’s not much longer, really, come on.”  
“Really, Louis, I’m fine. Cool as a cucumber. Thanks, though, really. I’m Harry, by the way.”  
“At least let us walk with you, Harry. Just in case.” And so he does. Harry wobbles down the incline alongside the lovely Louis, the sporty looking guy he’d seen him talking to on top of the hill, and a handful of other people he can’t really see. They accompany his to the end of the trail where he looks around for his roommate, easily spotting him and walking over there, calling out a thank you to the group as he goes.

 

Harry doesn’t see Louis for another few weeks. Between his classes starting and cleaning up all the messes Niall makes in their room, Harry doesn’t really see anyone he knows. One day, after he’s had three lectures, a slice of burnt pizza, and ten hours of homework ahead of him, he stumbles into his little dorm, wanting nothing more than a nap. Instead of the peace and quiet he’d been wishing for, though, he finds Niall amidst a group of people and immersed in what appears to be a heated game of Fifa.  
Harry drops his bag and surveys the room. There’s an empty pizza box on his desk, another half empty one on Niall’s, a tall, dark skinned man Harry doesn’t know, the sporty one he saw a few weeks ago, and Louis.  
Louis. Louis is in his room. Apparently Louis somehow knows Niall, and Niall really is a terrible roommate for not setting Harry up with Louis.  
For whatever reason, Harry’s first instinct is to flee the room. He’s about to do so when Niall takes notice of him and cheers around a mouth full of pizza. “Harry! Help yourself mate. D’you wanna play? Oh, this is Zayn, Liam, and Louis. They’re me mates. Boys, this curly fucker is Harry.” There’s a chorus of ‘Hi Harry’ while he just stands there awkwardly.  
“We went to school together,” the sporty one- Liam, was it?- explains. “Back in London.” As if the accent didn’t give it away. Liam looks older than the other boys, buffer, and just generally bigger. Zayn, well, he looks older too and damn is he attractive. Harry wonders how they all ended up at this tiny, middle-of-nowhere American university.  
“I didn’t,” Zayn speaks up. “I met these two at a party the first Friday.” He gestures to Louis and Liam, who happen to be standing too close together for Harry’s mental health.  
“So, um, did you all decide to room separately then?” Please don’t let Liam and Louis share…  
“No, I’m roomies with Liam, here,” Louis clarifies, smiling up at the older man fondly, their arms now wrapped around each other’s waists. “He was here last year and just couldn’t stand being away from me for so long, and now here I am. And Niall, too, but only ‘cause he’s hoping to shag some fit American birds.” So Liam and Louis must be like a thing then. Harry feels his heart sink.

 

Harry tries his best to avoid Louis after that, positive he wouldn’t be able to handle seeing the happy couple all over one another. He gets the room to himself many nights, Niall always out with some girl he’s been seeing, and he takes advantage of the time alone to wank. He lies on his bed, quickly getting off to thoughts of thin pink lips, blue eyes hidden behind fringe and glasses, and small, nimble fingers. He always feels guilty afterwards, but he continues to do it nonetheless.  
Try as he does to avoid Louis, though, it just isn’t possible, not with as much time as he spends in Harry and Niall’s room. And the more time he spends around him, the more Harry’s crush grows. He learns that Louis is 19, a drama student with five younger sisters and a younger brother and a mum he misses dearly. He finds out that Louis tutors kids at the public library in his spare time and that he’s the star player on the university’s men’s “soccer” team. So yeah, Harry’s pretty much fucked.  
“Hazza! It’s so good to see you! Have you been avoiding me or summat?” A small body wraps itself around Harry, legs circling his waist and warm breath fanning over his neck. And, well, yeah, Harry has been avoiding Louis all weekend, under the pretense of having a paper to write even though he actually didn’t have any work. It’s not like he’s going to tell Louis that, though.  
“What? No, of course not, Lou. Who would ever wanna avoid you? I told you I had a paper to write. For, um, for my…my geography course. Why are you on me?”  
“Take me to dinner.” It’s said simply, just a simple command to carry the boy to the dining facility, but Harry can’t help but try to find a deeper meaning. He would love to take Louis to dinner, somewhere nice (or as nice as a college student in a different country can afford) but he can’t, because Louis has Liam and Harry is not a home wrecker. So he buries the thoughts of Louis dressed to the nines and holding a rose Harry brought him and hoists the boy into a more secure position in his back.  
They heap their plates full of fries and pizza and find a spot to sit in the crowded dining hall. Conversation is easy- Harry considers Louis to be one of his best friend- probably the best friend of all his best friends, if that makes sense. They can literally talk about anything- meaning there are more penis jokes than strictly appropriate- and Harry’s plate is empty too soon. While he waits for Louis to finish, he asks, “So how’s Liam?”  
As much as he resents Liam for being with Louis, he really likes the older boy (he learned a few weeks ago that Liam and Zayn are both 21, Niall is 20, and him and Louis are both 19). He’s so caring and he makes Louis smile that crinkly eyed smile Harry loves so much. He just wishes Louis would love Harry the same way he loves Liam.  
“He’s good, I think. I mean, from what I can tell. I haven’t seen him much recently.” Louis shrugs nonchalantly, like it doesn’t bother him. Which- Liam is his boyfriend, with whom he shares a room. How hasn’t he seen him?  
“What? Why not?” Harry asks, taking a sip of his pink lemonade.  
“Him and Zayn have been shaking up in Zayn’s flat,” Louis laughs. “I told them they can’t fuck when I’m around so they decided not to risk it and I haven’t seen them since.” He chuckles again, like it doesn’t faze him it all that his boyfriend is having sex with one of his best mates. Harry chokes on his drink, sputtering and coughing. “What’s the matter, Harry? I thought you knew they were gay? You’re gay, I don’t see why it’s such a big deal, I mean-“  
“I thought Liam was gay with YOU!” They’re drawing attention now, so Harry lowers his voice, whisper-yelling at the very confused boy across from him, “How are you okay with your boyfriend cheating on you?! Why are you encouraging it?”  
Now it’s Louis’ turn to sputter and choke. “My- my boyfriend? Harry, what the fuck are you talking about? I’m not dating Liam! I’ve never dated Liam! That’ just- no, ew, never. I mean, no offense to him but…” He does an exaggerated full-body shiver to prove his point, which makes his glasses slip down his nose, and if that’s not the cutest thing Harry’s ever seen then he doesn’t know what is.  
“You’re not- You and Liam aren’t together?”  
“No! Fuck- Is that why you always turn me down?” Harry thinks back on all the things Louis has ever asked of him that could have been taken as a date proposal, all the things they’ve done that probably came off as couple-y that Harry had determinedly brushed off as bro-pal type interactions. There were so many of them, Harry hadn’t even realized until now. After all, thinking Louis was taken had forced him into believing there could never be nothing more between them.  
“I- Louis, I…” He doesn’t know what to say, he feels so dumb, so overwhelmed, and so excited. Louis is single. Louis is single, and he wants Harry. “Lou-” He can’t finish the word because there is suddenly a pair of lips crashing into his from across the table, warm and soft against his own. He’s too shocked to react at first and Louis pulls back, his “Is this okay?” ghosting over his lips and he nods furiously. Somewhere to his left come a series of cat calls and whistles, but Harry doesn’t care because Louis is kissing him and Louis wants him and…He is kissing Louis Tomlinson. He could now die a happy man.

 

“Hazza, right there. Right there, baby. Yeah, yeah…Right there. Mmm, so good. Uh- Oh, God, I’m so close, Haz, so close…” Louis hands fist in the sheets, head thrown back and sweaty fringe sticking to his forehead. Harry’s tongue licks over him again and he wriggles around, so close to tipping over the edge, but Harry’s not having it. He pulls back, sitting up and smirking at his boyfriend. Four years later, Louis is a bit taller, a lot more toned, and just as sexy as ever. Tattoos cover his arm and chest, there’s a light stubble dusting his chin and well defined cheekbones. Yet here, stretched out on their couch after being slowly taken apart by Harry’s tongue for the last hour, he looks just like he did the first time they did this when they were 19. Harry feels a wave of affection wash over him and he leans down to kiss his boy, mouths slotting together in a fast, messy kiss before Louis small hands are shoving at his shoulders, trying to get Harry’s head back where it belongs.  
Harry, of course, goes without argument. There are few things he loves as much as pleasuring him handsome boy. He’s lowering his head, ready to finish Louis off with a few well-placed licks, when the door bangs open and an Irish voice curses. “God dammit, again? You fuckers are like rabbits! My God…” Niall mumbles some more to himself and Louis whines, wiggling him bum, oblivious to Niall and just needing his boyfriend’s mouth back. So Harry gives him what he wants, sucking on his puffy rim and pushing his tongue in. Louis cries out and Niall plops down in an arm chair and turns on the TV, turning up the volume when Louis comes with a shout. So, just an ordinary afternoon in their three-person flat.

 

Later that week finds Harry and Louis back atop the hill that had, in a way, started it all. Harry had become much better at hiking it, as it was a perfect make-out sight, just as he’d originally thought. In fact, it was Louis’ favorite, and they spent an awful lot of time up here. Tonight, it’s just them, the sun setting over the lake. They sit side-by-side, legs dangling over the edge of a protruding lookout rock, Louis’ head resting on Harry’s shoulder. His eyes are blinking closed, having a hard time staying awake, but they fly open when he hears Harry speak. Surely he didn't just- He couldn't have-  
“What did you just say?”  
“Marry me. I want to marry you, Louis Tomlinson. I love you so much, and I know we’re young, but we’re ready. And when we graduate this spring, I want you to stay in my life. And-” His words are cut off, just like they were all those years ago, by Louis’ lips covering his own, a ‘yes’ coming out in between each kiss, and Harry’s going to marry this perfect boy someday soon, and he couldn't be happier.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you thought or give me ideas for something else or ways to improve :)


End file.
